5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Joe Paterno is a cinch to get career win No. 290 as No. 1 Penn State renews acquaintances with Pittsburgh in University Park. It is the 93rd meeting of the schools, but the first since 1992, when the series was halted when Penn State joined the Big Ten. With 289 career wins, Paterno trails only Bear Bryant (323), Pop Warner (319) and Amos Alonzo Stagg (314) on the major college victory list.

2. After starting last season almost boastful about its national title hopes, No. 8 Colorado opens the season at home against Colorado State with aspirations tempered by an affliction for losing to Nebraska and the off-season deaths of former player Tyronee Bussey (leukemia) and running back coach Ben Gregory (heart attack). Colorado can lose to Colorado State if it looks ahead to next week’s trip to Michigan.

3. Our second annual Prairie View Will Prevail stab-in-the-dark. But this time it’s a lock. Prairie View, loser of an NCAA-record 69 consecutive games, will beat NAIA Langston on Saturday. Why? The Panthers lost a tough 32-16 opener last week to Texas Southern. Prairie View’s new coach is Gregory Johnson, the former Langston coach.

4. Northwestern at Wake Forest. Wait a second. Didn’t Northwestern play--and lose--at Wake Forest last year. Yes, and don’t think Coach Gary Barnett is thrilled about it. The schedule was made before Barnett’s time, and this is the back end of the deal in which Wake Forest played at Northwestern in 1991 and ’93.

5. Tommy Bowden, the oldest son of Florida State’s Bobby, makes his head coaching debut with Tulane on Saturday when the Green Wave hosts Cincinnati at the Superdome. Tommy previously worked for younger brother Terry at Auburn. Tommy inherits a program that has not had a winning season since 1981. He may not sleep well in New Orleans, but he’ll eat well.